1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an integrated operation instructing system for power generation plants, and more particularly to an integrated operation instructing system; for operating power generation plants that is capable of operating gas turbine power generation plants in a highly efficient and economical manner.
2. Prior Art
Conventionally, in electric utilities, a central load dispatching instruction station calculates a load demand for each power generation plant and transmits it to each power generation plant via a telephone line or an exclusive telecommunication line. Each power generation plant receives the target load from the central load dispatching instruction station and controls the power output based on the target load.
In recent years, most power generation plants are gas turbine combined plants that have improved thermal efficiency. Since the efficiency of the compressor in a gas turbine plant is decreased significantly due to contamination accumulated on the compressor blades, the thermal efficiency of a gas turbine power generation plant unavoidably deteriorates over time.
FIG. 1 is a view showing the construction of a conventional integrated power generation plant operation instructing system for operating gas turbine power generation plants. A central load dispatching instruction station 10 is connected to N gas turbine power generation plants 11n (1xe2x89xa6nxe2x89xa6N) via exclusive telecommunication lines 12n. 
The central load dispatching instruction station 10 is comprised of a supervisory operation panel 101 with which an operator operates and/or supervises the plants and a load dispatching instruction computer 102 which calculates a target load to be allocated to each of the power generation plants and which is connected via an interfaces (SCADA) 103n to the exclusive telecommunication lines 12n. 
The gas turbine power generation plant 11n is comprised of a controller 11n1 for controlling a gas turbine power generator 11n0, an operating panel 11n2 for operating the gas turbine power generator 11n0, and a data logger computer 11n3 for collecting the operating status data of the gas turbine power generator 11n0. The controller 11n1 is connected via an interface (SCADA) 11n4 to the exclusive telecommunication line 12n. The controller 11n1, the operating panel 11n2 and the data logger computer 11n3 are connected to each other via a bus 11n5.
Thus, the target load for each gas turbine power generation plant calculated by the load dispatching instruction computer 102 is transmitted via the exclusive telecommunication line 12n to the controller 11n1 of the gas turbine power generation plant 11n, and each gas turbine power generator 11n0 is controlled based on the target load.
Output efficiency of a gas turbine power generator is influenced by the contamination of the compressor. Conventionally, however, in calculating the target load to each gas turbine power plant, the contamination of the compressor has not been taken into account. Thus, the cost of the power generation has not been considered in the calculation of the target load.
It is an object of the present invention to resolve the above-mentioned problem and to provide an integrated operation instructing system for power generation plants that is capable of operating gas turbine power generation plants in a highly efficient and economical manner.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, an integrated operation instructing system for power generation plants is comprised of a central load dispatching instruction station for instructing a target load to each of a plurality of gas turbine power generation plants; and a telecommunication line for connecting the plurality of gas turbine power generation plants to the central load dispatching instruction station. Each of the gas turbine power generation plants comprises gas turbine power generation plant control means for controlling the output of the gas turbine generator based on the target load instructed by the central load dispatching instruction station and operating status data transmitting means for transmitting the operating status data of the gas turbine power generation plant to the central load dispatching instruction station. The central load dispatching instruction station comprises deteriorating rate evaluating means for evaluating the deteriorating rate of the gas turbine based on the operational status data of the gas turbine power generation plant transmitted from the operational data transmitting means, optimal target load calculating means for calculating the optimal target load that minimizes total operating cost based on the deteriorating rate of the gas turbine calculated by the deteriorating rate evaluating means, and optimal target load output transmitting means for transmitting the optimal target load calculated by the optimal target load calculating means to the gas turbine power generation plant control means.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the operational status data of the gas turbine power generation plant are transmitted to the central load dispatching instruction station, where the deteriorating rate of the gas turbine is evaluated. Then an optimal target load that minimizes the total operating cost, taking the deteriorating rate of the gas turbine into account, is set.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the operating status data transmitting means transmit the data on the output of the gas turbine generator, the opening of the inlet guide vane, the pressure in the combustor cylinder, atmospheric temperature and a kind of fuel as the operating status data. The deteriorating rate evaluating means evaluates the deteriorating rate of the gas turbine based on the output of the gas turbine generator, the opening of the inlet guide vane, the pressure in the combustor cylinder, atmospheric temperature and the kind of fuel.
According to the second aspect of the invention, the deteriorating rate is corrected based on the output of the gas turbine generator, the opening of the inlet guide vane, the pressure in the combustor cylinder, atmospheric temperature and the kind of fuel.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the operating status data transmitting means transmits the operating status data to the central load dispatching instruction station via the Internet. The optimal target load transmitting means transmits the optimal target load via exclusive telecommunication lines.
According to the third aspect of the invention, the optimal target load is transmitted via exclusive telecommunication lines; and the operating status data are transmitted via the Internet.